PASIR MAS: Fifteen retailers and wholesalers around the Sungai Kelantan bank, near Dataran Air Muleh in Kampung Pohon Celagi that collapsed recently are worried over their business suffering a drop of up to 80 percent following the incident.
In fact, the situation is even more worrying when there are new cracks and soil collapse about five metres away from the row of shops owned by the traders and retailers near the river bank since last Saturday.
Groceries wholesaler Mohd Faizal Abdul Ghaffar, 35, said following the river bank collapse, he has been suffering up to three-fold n losses.
“The warehouse that I had been operating for the past five years which is now tilted had to be completely closed as it is at risk of collapsing due to soil sedimentation.
“Meanwhile, I have to temporarily operate in a safer premises which is about 20 metres from my previous grocery store. Although there are customers who still come, it is not like before as some of them think we are no longer in business,“ he said when met by reporters near Dataran Air Muleh.
Now he only relies on regular customers who will contact him if they want to buy groceries.
A check by Bernama found that some shop owners decided to move their goods to safe places to continue their business despite the declining number of customers.
Trader Mohd Rohairi Jusoh, 52, said he had to stop his business temporarily as his shop was not allowed to operate by the authorities because it was at risk of collapsing.
“This place had been the only source of livelihood for my family where I could earn up to RM6,000 a month, but now it seems to disappear in the blink of an eye,“ he said.
On Feb 17, five houses were destroyed following a landslide in Kampung Pohon Celagi which caused 98 people from 45 families in the area to be evacuated.
The area is now under tight watch by the security agencies such as the police and Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) from the disaster control post set up to monitor the situation round the clock. — Bernama
